Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about In der Arztpraxis untersuchte ein Arzt meinen Fuß, weil ich Schmerzen hatte.
Why is the finite verb untersuchte placed before the subject ein Arzt?
German main clauses follow the V2 (verb–second) word order. The fronted element In der Arztpraxis counts as the first position, so the finite verb untersuchte must come next. The subject ein Arzt then follows the verb.
Why is In der Arztpraxis in the dative case?
The preposition in can govern accusative (for direction: “into”) or dative (for location: “in”). Here it answers “where?”—it’s about location—so it takes the dative. Since Praxis is feminine, the dative article is der.
What gender is Arztpraxis, and why?
Compound nouns in German take the gender of their final element. Praxis (practice) is feminine, so Arztpraxis is also feminine.
Why is meinen Fuß in the accusative case?
Meinen Fuß is the direct object of untersuchte. Direct objects require the accusative case. Because Fuß is masculine, the accusative of mein is meinen.
Why is Schmerzen plural in weil ich Schmerzen hatte?
When Germans talk about having pain, they usually use the plural Schmerzen (“pains”). The singular Schmerz exists, but in everyday speech you say Ich habe Schmerzen.
Why does the verb hatte appear at the end of the clause weil ich Schmerzen hatte?
Weil introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the finite verb moves to the end.
Why are the verbs untersuchte and hatte in the Präteritum (simple past) instead of the Perfekt (present perfect)?
In written or formal narration, Germans often use the Präteritum (untersuchte, hatte). In spoken German, especially in some regions, you might hear the Perfekt (hat untersucht, hatte), but both tenses convey past actions.
Could you say im Arztpraxis instead of in der Arztpraxis?
No. Im is a contraction of in dem (dative masculine/neuter). Since Arztpraxis is feminine, you must use in der. There is no contraction for in der.
Why is there a comma before weil?
German punctuation rules require a comma before subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like weil, dass, obwohl, etc. Unlike English, this comma is mandatory.
Why does the sentence use ein Arzt instead of der Arzt?
Using ein Arzt (indefinite article) signals this is the first mention of the doctor or an unspecified one. If the doctor had already been introduced or both speaker and listener knew which doctor, you’d use der Arzt (definite article).